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DULUTH, MINNESOTA
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Howie

Duluth's homegrown columnist. Since 1971.

Pen-and-ink portrait of Howie Hanson

Howie Hanson

Editor & Publisher of HowieHanson.com

What I Cover

I write about power, business, sports and civic life in Duluth and across Minnesota. My columns examine the people making decisions, the organizations behind those decisions and what their choices mean for the communities they serve.

My Background

My journalism career began in 1971 at the Cloquet Pine Knot. More than five decades later, I'm still reporting and writing from Duluth. I publish HowieHanson.com, an independent site built around original columns, local reporting and Minnesota sports coverage.

My Approach

My work combines reporting, analysis and commentary. I believe in checking facts, asking direct questions and giving readers enough information to make up their own minds. My reporting and opinions are mine, and I stand behind the words I publish.

Contact Me

I welcome story ideas, questions, corrections and tips from readers. Email is the best way to reach me.

Email: GuyHowieHanson@gmail.com

Latest

Howie: John Fedo turned Duluth toward the lake

Modern Duluth continues wrestling with the same tensions Mayor Fedo governed through decades ago. Tourism success created new economic pressures. Summer weekends increasingly made portions of Canal Park feel disconnected from the working-class identity that shaped Duluth for generations.

AF1 Scoreboard

Albany 60, Michigan 57 – Quarterback Sam Castranova threw for 316 yards and nine touchdowns Saturday night as Albany (6-0) held off host Michigan

Howie: Why LSC is winning the local college enrollment battle

For years, America subtly treated trade education as a secondary path for students who supposedly could not “make it” academically. That narrative now looks outdated and borderline absurd. Many technical programs are competitive, mathematically rigorous and tied to industries starving for talent.

Howie: The Northland’s media ecosystem is messy

No single institution controls the public conversation anymore. The region now operates inside a decentralized information economy where television owns immediacy, newspapers own documentation, Facebook owns emotional momentum and independent publishers increasingly own personality-driven loyalty.

Howie: Duluth moves beyond emergency shelter thinking

Serious cities eventually discover homelessness sits at the intersection of housing costs, addiction, mental illness, family collapse, poverty and social isolation. Remove one piece while ignoring the others and the system keeps recycling human beings through crisis.

Howie: Rebuilding the Twin Cities core

American downtowns historically reinvent themselves every generation or two. Warehouse districts become loft districts. Industrial corridors become medical corridors. Rail hubs become entertainment hubs.

Howie: The Star Tribune’s statewide gamble paid off

The Pulitzer validated more than excellent reporting. It validated the strategic vision behind what the Minnesota Star Tribune has been becoming. Not simply a city newspaper with statewide aspirations. But a statewide institution capable of helping Minnesota understand itself in real time.

Howie: Monsters riding ground game, defense during AF1 surge

At 3-1, the Monsters have positioned themselves among the early contenders in the nine-team AF1, doing so with a formula that looks noticeably different from many of the league’s more pass-heavy offenses. Minnesota has leaned into physical football, defensive pressure and ball control

AF1 Week 5 Results

Minnesota 31, Michigan 28 OT – Aiden Johnson connected on a 29-yard field goal on the Monsters' first possession in overtime at The

Howie: Why independent voices are winning local media

Readers today follow trusted voices first and institutions second. That is the modern reality of local media whether legacy newsrooms fully enjoy admitting it or not. The old ecosystem was built around control of distribution. The new ecosystem revolves around control of attention.

Tim Meyer: The Lester Park process is wearing Duluth out

I continue to support a balanced redevelopment model — one that includes housing, recreation, some golf opportunities and a limited amount of commercial development designed to complement businesses in Lakeside and Lester Park, not overwhelm them.

Howie: FOX 21 delivers a masterpiece inside Maurices

The feature arrived at an important moment for Downtown Duluth. Public discussion surrounding the downtown district in recent years has often centered on vacancy concerns, economic anxiety and uncertainty about the future of the urban core.

Howie: Reinert has failed Downtown Duluth

The library debate generated plenty of noise and no resolution. Skywalk conversations took up oxygen without producing a clear direction. The broader Imagine Downtown Duluth effort exists, but still feels like a $300,000 plan waiting for a moment when it becomes real in ways people can’t miss.

Howie: Forsman the best choice for Duluth’s next mayor

Arik Forsman doesn’t posture. He doesn’t spend his time trying to win the internet for a day. He leans into the unglamorous mechanics of governing — budgets, policy detail, stakeholder conversations — and does it with a steadiness that’s easy to overlook if you’re chasing noise instead of results.